Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV said its first-quarter net profit rose to €478 million ($539 million) as North American consumers snapped up the auto maker’s higher-priced sport-utility vehicles and pickup trucks.

The results suggest Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne’s plan to turn the U.S. market into a big-vehicle profit machine may be paying off. He has already curtailed some car production in favor of pushing out more Jeep SUVs….